“Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong.”
The fifth watch had just finished sounding when Wei Ning quietly got out of bed.
Her mother was still sleeping soundly beside her.
Wei Ning had stayed up late the previous night, working on her weapons before finally going to bed.
Her mother, however, had apparently stayed awake until Wei Ning lay down, only then allowing her breathing to become steady.
Wei Ning stepped into the courtyard, untied the ropes that had been holding the wooden bow in shape overnight, leaving only the curved bow body.
She packed everything she had prepared the previous night into a tattered gray-black cloth bundle and slung it over her back.
Then she picked up her waterskin and quietly slipped out of the house.
In the room next door, Wei Yan opened his eyes in the darkness.
He had not slept at all that night.
Wei Ning hurried toward the southern city gate.
It was just after the fifth watch, around three in the morning. Even walking quickly, it would take nearly an hour to reach the southern gate.
That would put her there just in time for five o’clock, when the city gates opened.
The city curfew here lasted from eight at night until five in the morning. Baihu Commander Shen Yi had told them that on their first day.
About five hundred meters from the southern gate, Wei Ning could already see some early-rising commoners waiting outside.
The city gate was slowly opening.
Wei Ning stopped at a steamed-bun shop that was also opening early and bought two meat buns and two plain steamed buns, spending fourteen copper coins.
The meat buns were expensive, costing five copper coins each, while the plain buns were only two.
She grabbed one of the steaming meat buns and stuffed it into her mouth.
Delicious!
Absolutely delicious!
This was the first time she had eaten meat since arriving in this world three days ago.
She finished it in two or three bites.
Then she followed the people leaving the city.
Based on her memory of the route they had taken when they first arrived, she hurried after them.
The two escort guards had previously been forced to walk thirty li a day while escorting the prisoners. Now that they had no prisoners to drag along, they might be able to cover forty li a day.
They had only left the city yesterday afternoon, so they could have traveled no more than twenty li before dark.
For sixty or seventy li south of Yinzhou, the only place where travelers could take shelter was a dilapidated mountain-god temple. Otherwise, they would have to sleep outdoors.
The temperature difference between day and night was already significant, sometimes more than ten degrees.
There was a very good chance that the two escort guards had spent the previous night at the mountain-god temple.
From sunset until sunrise, by the time the sun had fully risen, it would be around nine in the morning.
That was when Wei Ning finally reached the mountain-god temple.
She went inside.
Beside a pile of ashes from a newly extinguished fire, Wei Ning reached down and touched them.
They were still warm.
She grabbed her waterskin and took several large gulps of water.
Without stopping, she turned and continued south.
She had to catch up with them before two in the afternoon.
Otherwise, she would not make it back to Yinzhou before the evening curfew.
After pursuing them for another hour or so, she finally spotted the two escort guards several hundred meters ahead.
Apparently, they had waited until daylight, eaten breakfast, and only then continued on their journey.
Wei Ning stopped and observed them.
The two men were currently walking across a barren slope covered with waist-high, yellowing weeds. There was very little cover.
There were no other travelers on the road either.
That made it difficult for her to approach unnoticed.
However, another thousand meters or so ahead was a dense patch of bushes and woodland.
That would be the perfect place to strike.
Wei Ning crouched beside the road and took the wooden bow from her bundle.
She tied the ox-tendon bowstring she had bought yesterday into the grooves at both ends of the bow.
She adjusted it and tested the tension.
Then she took out one of her bamboo arrows and fired a test shot.
Its range was only about twenty meters.
The bow was short, and so were the bamboo arrows. Both its range and power were far inferior to a normal bow and arrow.
She would have to get close for it to be effective.
Wei Ning slung the short bow over one shoulder.
She gathered the long strip of cloth she had brought, wrapped it tightly around her waist, and tied it like a belt to secure her loose clothing.
The dagger and bamboo arrows were tucked on either side of her waist, where she could reach them easily.
Once everything was ready, she continued after the two men.
Wei Ning was small and light-footed.
She deliberately concealed the sound of her footsteps, while the rustling of the bushes in the wind helped mask her approach.
It was not until she was about twenty meters away that the younger escort guard happened to turn his head and notice her.
“You…”
The young guard turned around, his eyes widening in shock.
Before he could say anything, an arrow from the bow already in Wei Ning’s hands shot through the air with a whoosh and struck him in the throat.
“Ah!”
The young guard let out a scream.
The broad-faced escort guard was startled and immediately spun around, drawing his saber and knocking away the second arrow Wei Ning fired.
He looked down.
It was merely a bamboo arrow, without even an iron arrowhead.
He was about to laugh at her when he looked up and saw Wei Ning firing a third, fourth, and fifth arrow in rapid succession, all aimed straight at his head.
The broad-faced guard had no choice but frantically swing his saber from side to side, cutting down the irritating rain of arrows.
Wei Ning advanced step by step.
She nocked arrows, drew the bow, and fired steadily.
The closer she got, the faster and more powerful her attacks became.
The broad-faced guard failed to block one in time.
An arrow struck his left arm and pierced straight through it.
He let out a scream of pain.
But he couldn’t afford to look at the wound.
His right hand remained firmly gripping his saber.
When Wei Ning was only a few steps away, all the bamboo arrows tucked into her cloth belt had been used up.
She threw the wooden bow to the ground.
Then she drew her dagger and charged forward.
Close combat was her specialty.
With one swift movement, she slashed a deep wound across the broad-faced guard’s left thigh.
Bright red blood sprayed out, quickly soaking his entire left trouser leg.
The pain made him stagger backward two steps before barely managing to regain his balance and create some distance.
But Wei Ning gave him no chance to recover.
Like an agile poisonous snake, she lunged after him again.
Within mere seconds, several more wounds appeared across his body.
He could barely hold onto his saber anymore.
Desperate, he shouted, “Little Liu! If you’re still alive, get over here and help me! Otherwise, we’re both finished!”
The bamboo arrow had not been powerful enough to kill the younger guard. He was only injured, and Wei Ning’s movements had been so fast that he had barely had time to react.
But after hearing the broad-faced guard’s shout, he ignored the wound in his throat, grabbed his saber, and charged forward.
Wei Ning’s expression didn’t change.
Taking advantage of her small frame and superior agility, she dodged from side to side.
Then, with one slash, she severed the tendon in the broad-faced guard’s right hand.
“Ah!”
The man screamed.
His grip failed, and the saber fell from his hand.
Wei Ning immediately seized the saber by its handle and turned around.
She blocked the younger guard’s downward slash.
The two sabers collided with a loud clang, both vibrating from the impact.
Before the sound had even faded, a flash of cold steel swept past.
The dagger in Wei Ning’s left hand sliced across the young guard’s throat.
Warm blood sprayed across her face.
The young guard stared at her in disbelief.
He didn’t even have time to raise his hand to his neck.
Still gripping his saber in his right hand, he fell backward onto the ground with a heavy thud.
Dead.
Wei Ning turned toward the broad-faced guard, who stood three steps away, hunched over while clutching his injured right hand with his left.
His face was filled with terror.
Wei Ning took one step forward.
The guard instinctively took one step backward.
Her face was covered in blood.
Her eyes were cold and emotionless as she stared directly at him, looking like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell.
The broad-faced guard trembled.
“Spare me… Please, spare me. I still have an elderly mother at home…”
Before he could finish speaking, Wei Ning suddenly lunged forward again.
She thrust the dagger toward his heart.
The guard instinctively raised his hand to block.
The dagger pierced straight through his left palm.
“Ah!”
Wei Ning swiftly pulled the dagger free.
Then she swept it across his throat.
His scream abruptly stopped.
His face remained frozen in terror as his body collapsed limply to the ground.
Only now were you afraid?
Too late.
Wei Ning lowered her weapon and stood there, breathing heavily.
From the beginning of the attack to the end, less than ten minutes had passed.
They were only two low-ranking guards, yet they had already exhausted every ounce of strength Wei Ning possessed.
The original body’s physique was still too weak.
By the latter part of the fight, she had almost been unable to keep going.
When she returned, she would have to train harder and strengthen this body as quickly as possible.
She needed to bring her strength, speed, and endurance up to the level she had possessed in her previous life.
Her face and body were covered in blood.
Combined with the sweat pouring from her skin, everything felt sticky and extremely uncomfortable.
But Wei Ning had no time to care about that now.
She crouched down and searched the two guards.
Before long, she found two money pouches.
Inside were four banknotes worth one hundred taels each, along with one hundred and thirty-two taels and fifty-seven copper coins.
Altogether, there were more than five hundred taels.
Every bit of it had been extorted from the Wei family and other prisoners.
“Bastards.”
Wei Ning stuffed the money pouches into her clothing.
Then she retrieved her wooden bow and all the bamboo arrows she had fired.
Turning around, she rushed into the bushes and headed back the way she had come.
She stayed inside the trees and tall grass, avoiding the main road.
It was almost noon.
Covered in blood from head to toe, she would attract far too much attention if she walked openly along the official road.